Saved by the Bell
by Magnafeana
Summary: The skies were blue and now they are grey. The sun used to shine, but there isn't even a ray. An innocent ride turns into death for almost two. And he just wanted to tell her once last time, "Hey, Lucy, I love you."


**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or this legend.**

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><p>The skies were blue and now they are grey. The sun used to shine, but there isn't even a ray. An innocent ride turns into death for almost two. And he just wanted to tell her one last time, "I love you."<p>

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><p><strong>Saved by the Bell<strong>

_by_

Magnafeana

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><p><em>Falling in love is like rain. You can't predict it, but you can always see signs of it before it completely falls.<em>

—that**one**rule #766

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><p>Driving down a street is like walking through a mall. The current of the people is so strong, you are forced to go along with it and only make necessary turns. You are on constant vigilance—not for yourself, but concerned about the people around you. You had to maneuver through lanes with a sense of knowing where you were going or else you would bump, scratch or full-out crash into your neighbor or that person trying to turn onto another street.<p>

Even a suburb like Magnolia had its problems with traffic. When it turned icy cold, black ice and heavy snow became the enemies of every driver. The rainy season of early spring brought chances of hydroplaning to any driver and thunderstorms were not friendly. Autumn was a little kinder to cars. The weather had cold down to a mild chill and only scattering leaves were the only bothersome trait. Summer was perfect. It was perfect for those nice, long drives to nowhere and singing along to the radio.

Natsu had already known this fact. In fact, he reveled in it. Today was a perfect day to take Lucy on a lengthy drive to new places.

He kicked down the stand to keep his motorcycle from falling over and swung a leg to officially dismount from the bike. He grinned at the house before him. Before, it had intimidated him. With an egotistical stature and obese size, as well as well-kept gardens, it appeared to be the home of a rich tycoon. But after sneaking into that house ever-so-many times to be with the girl he loved, the house had become friendlier to him.

He walked to the front door and rang the doorbell, running a hand through unkempt bubblegum pink hair. He hoped her father wouldn't answer. The last time Natsu had seen Mr. Heartfilia, he was tempted to punch the man for spouting hurtful words toward Lucy. It was wrong for a father to do such a thing to his only daughter. Lucy had held Natsu back and promised him she would be fine, but Natsu didn't believe it. He hated leaving her with him.

The door swung open and staring down at him was a taller blonde with messy locks and piercing sea green eyes to match. He grunted. "What do you want?" The way he spoke was rough, and a little weary. Normally, his speech came off as disinterested, but never in the offensive way unless he meant for it to be offensive.

"Hey, Laxus. Lucy home?" Natsu asked, peering behind the man's shoulder. "I want to take her out today." He paused, and added in a dark growl, "As long as that's okay with your dad."

Laxus sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Come on in. My dad's not home by the way," he put in as Natsu stepped inside. Laxus closed the door behind him and regarded Natsu in a serious stare. "Which means I'm in charge. And I don't want you taking Lucy out to any dangerous places."

Natsu nodded. "I promise she'll be fine," he assured.

Laxus shook his head and treaded into the living room. "Sure. That's what you said last time," he growled.

Natsu followed him and gave an exasperated sigh. "She wanted to go there, remember? It's not like we knew dogs could be that rough!"

Laxus snorted. "Just don't let it happen again," he warned.

Natsu sighed again. He already knew Laxus had been wary of him dating his little sister. Even with Lucy being a college freshman and Laxus finishing up his senior year of college, Laxus was overprotective of her with any guy. Even after dating Lucy for three years, Natsu only improved in Laxus' trust to the point where Laxus didn't outright object to them leaving for a date without his supervision or them going on a date and catching a glimpse of Laxus casually behind them.

Lucy seemed irate by Laxus' overprotective streak, even now, but Natsu would take what he could get.

A high-pitched bark and a wet nose prodding his ankles was the only reason Natsu looked down and smiled. Black eyes stared into his as a small, white-furred body trembled with excitement, barking and wagging a happy tail.

Natsu squatted down and scratch the dog in-between its ears, earning another bark and a quick lick on his hand. "Hey, Plue," he laughed. "How's it going, buddy?"

Plue barked again and butted his head in response. He spun in a circle once before putting his paws on Natsu's chest and licking his face.

Natsu chuckled, holding the dog away from his face. "Yeah, I know. It's been a whole day since I last saw you. How can we ever stand to be twenty-four hours apart?"

Plue barked and whined.

"I seem to manage."

Natsu turned his head when a figure stood next to him. Rich gold hair flowing to her mid back and a smile that could brighten even the darkest day. Warm chocolate eyes gazed at him with only a certain type of love and amusement he witnessed and cherished. His eyes roamed up and down her, appreciating all her curves and edges being accentuated by her sundress.

He let go of Plue and ascended to his true height—a head and a half taller than her. He smiled down at her and brought her into a welcoming kiss. It was sweet and light and innocent and affectionate and felt right in such away, neither could describe even if they tried.

She pulled back first, leaving him a little disappointed. Noticing his disappointment, she smiled cheekily and gave his a chaste kiss on the cheek and embraced him. "Well hello to you too," she greeted, her voice muffled against his chest. "Couldn't stay away from me for a whole twenty-four hours? How do you survive?"

Natsu laughed as he pulled her away to give her a quick kiss on her forehead. Amused obsidian stared into teasing chocolate. "I don't. My heart dies a little every time you leave," he confessed cheekily.

Lucy hummed her mirth. "Is there any way I can help you?" she offered.

Natsu smirked and leaned closer to her. "How about a longer kiss this time," he suggested.

"You're pushing it, Dragneel."

Lucy groaned while Natsu sighed, turning his head back to an agitated Laxus. "I think I have a right to kiss the girl I've been dating for almost four years," Natsu pointed out.

Laxus crossed his arms. "Don't think so. I don't care what you guys do when I'm not around." His eyes flashed. "As long as you two aren't screwing each other." He raised a suspicious eyebrow in Natsu's direction while Lucy glared at her older brother.

"Shut _up_, Laxus. You know we aren't," she snapped. "And"—a faint pink tinted Lucy's pale cheeks—"please don't say that."

Laxus growled. "I'm just trying to look out for you," he reminded.

Lucy sighed. "I'm fine, Laxus. I'm _nineteen_ now. I'm not a sophomore anymore. I think I know what I'm doing."

Laxus seemed reluctant to confirm the statement. Rather than replying right away, he combed through his messy blonde hair, eyes averting to the right. "Yeah, yeah," he breathed.

Natsu beamed at Lucy. "Well I was hoping you might want to go for a drive today. It's a nice day to just hit the road."

Lucy looked up at him with a smile only he received. "Sure, why not?" As Natsu led her away, she shouted back to Laxus, "I'll be back in time for dinner."

As Lucy walked over to the closet to find an adequate pair of shoes, she heard Laxus' resounding shout, "I swear if you to run off to some motel—"

Natsu laughed while Lucy blushed. "Laxus!"

"—just use protection!" Laxus finished. "Natsu, if you knock my sister up, I will _kill_ you."

Natsu laughed while Lucy tried shoving him out the front door. "Don't worry! We're not going to some disgusting motel… We're going to an expensive hotel! Where the beds are awesome for fucking!" he declared.

Lucy and Natsu heard a snarl and thunderous footsteps as Lucy pushed Natsu away from the door and followed in in suit. "_NATSU DRAGNEEL, YOU FUCKING B—!"_

Lucy quickly shut the door to muffle Laxus' profane screams, took Natsu's hand and ran over to his motorcycle. As Natsu hopped on his bike with his badly concealed laughter, Lucy glared at him. "That wasn't funny," she growled.

Natsu grinned as he put on his helmet and Lucy sat behind him. "Does he really think we're fucking whenever we go out?" he asked.

Lucy exhaled loudly and nodded. "Yeah. Ever since I started dating you, he thinks I'm not a virgin anymore."

"But you aren't."

Lucy hit him on the back, but a smile was on her lips. "Natsu!" she whined. "Stop bringing that up!"

Natsu turned to look at Lucy with smug eyes. "Oh, c'mon, you know you loved it," he teased. "Best night of our lives."

"We were supposed to wait until _after_ marriage, but _somebody_ got impatient," Lucy shot back.

Natsu shrugged. "I didn't see you complaining when I—"

"Just shut up and drive," Lucy interjected.

Natsu snorted. "Whatever, Luce." He revved the engine. The motorcycle roared from being awakened, but eased into a soft purr. Natsu expertly kicked his stand up as he purred the motorcycle into a U-turn to get back on street. He could feel Lucy wrap her arms around his waist and rest her head on his back, sighing.

He simply smiled as he guided the motorcycle, weaving through the lanes. He stopped once at an intersection and risked a glance at Lucy. She was clinging to him, but her eyes were open and staring back at him with the same feeling he was feeling. Lucy may have been good with her words for majoring in English, but with Natsu being a double major in pyrotechnics and chemical engineering, his words revolved around variables and well-constructed algorithms. And yet, both of them struggled to express the emotions they shared.

"Its love," Natsu had once proclaimed during their senior year of high school.

Lucy had shaken her head with an amused smile. "Love is a little too strong of a word, Natsu," she had gently chided.

Natsu had pouted at her. "Then what you do think it is?" he had demanded.

Lucy had hummed thoughtfully before coming up with a shrug and a rueful smile. "I don't know. Let me get back to you on that."

The light turned green and Natsu spurred his bike forward. He remembered when he had first seen the motorcycle. It had been his fathers—or at least that was what Makarov had claimed—and it was given to him as a present for his seventeenth birthday. He could still remember the look on Lucy's face when he arrived at her house and shouting for her to hop on.

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><p><em>"Yo, Luce!" Natsu called. "Get out here! I have a surprise for you!"<em>

_Shuffling could be heard within the house and the front door opened to reveal an exhausted blonde girl with weary eyes and a frown to match. Her eyes widened when she saw Natsu. "You got a motorcycle?" she asked, hesitantly walking over to him._

_Natsu nodded and revved his engine for emphasis. "My dad left it for me actually." He grinned at her. "Wanna go for a ride?"_

_Lucy crossed her arms, looking uncertain as she glanced back at her door. She could see her father and Laxus staring at the window with suspicious looks. She turned back to Natsu who waited for her answer. "I don't know, Natsu," she tried to reject. "I mean do you even know how to drive it?"_

_Natsu threw her a flat look. "Of _course_ not. Even though I passed my test yesterday and all, I still don't know how to drive," he said with heavy sarcasm._

_Lucy shot him a dry look and glanced back at the house. Her father had left, but Laxus seemed to be glaring at her boyfriend. She shrunk under his heated stare and looked at Natsu apologetically. "I don't think I should…"_

_Natsu's eyes softened as he extended a hand for her. "Luce, you know I would _never_ let anything happen to you, right? Just trust me," he pleaded._

_Lucy hesitated for another second and took Natsu's hand, the feeling of uneasiness never disappearing. Natsu grinned at her as she straddled the bike._

_Lucy blushed as she slid her hands around Natsu's waist. "I hope you know what you're doing," she prayed._

_Natsu laughed. "I always do! And you might want to hold on a little tighter!" In a fluid motion, Natsu kicked the stand to surge the motorcycle forward and circle around until he sped into the street._

_Lucy's grip tightened on him as she gasped. "Natsu!"_

_He only laughed and continued to speed away, a light blush dusting his cheeks when Lucy rested her head on his back._

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><p>The motorcycle turned down another road. Neither Lucy nor Natsu knew what road they were on, but they didn't care. A ride meant no destination, no planning, was involved. They thrived in the moment. They let whatever happened happen.<p>

Natsu increased his speed little by little and Lucy's grip on him tightened as he went faster. She could see the world passing her in blurred images of houses mixed with leafy trees. Occasionally she saw the hazy figure moseying down the sidewalks and cars would rush by, but that was it. It seemed barely any people were out on a fine summer day.

When the world became fuzzier and fuzzier, Lucy could feel herself panic slightly. "Natsu," she shouted over the noise of the sailing wind. "Natsu, slow down a little bit!"

Natsu glanced back at her with a carefree grin. "Getting scared?" he shouted back in inquiry.

Lucy loosened her grip so she could properly glare playfully at him. "Oh shut it, Dragneel. Blondes never get scared!" she declared.

Natsu chuckled. "Good to know. And pinkettes will never let go of their blondes." His words were soft and teasing, but full of affection that made Lucy smile and roll her eyes.

"Keep on driving, Pinky," she commanded. She snuggled against his back. "This blonde will go with you anywhere."

Natsu didn't respond, but Lucy knew she had been heard.

It was strange. You never know when or how you fall in love. Asking your parents when they love is something they think they can answer, but really, they can't. Falling in-love starts that fleeting moment when you meet the eyes of the person. It could just be at a grocery store and you never see those eyes again, that smile again, until three months later at a restaurant all the way in another country. It could be at a house-party when you two go to get drinks and accidently bump hands and you never seen him until a week later at the football game. It could plain be she needs to get her dog checked out and he's the veterinarian.

People cannot pinpoint when they started falling—they just know when they are in the middle of falling and when they touch ground.

Lucy let out a strangled gasp when the world grew so hazy she couldn't tell the difference in shapes. Colors melded together into a distorted color scale of green, blue and brown.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted, already feeling herself trembling. "Natsu, slow down! This is getting a little too scary!"

Natsu laughed gaily and shook his wild mane of pink hair. "No way! This is fun, Luce!"

Lucy clung to him and buried her head in his back. "Natsu, please! This isn't fun anymore! This is too fast!"

"Then tell me you love me!" Natsu demanded, sounding amused.

Lucy huffed, irritated. "Of course I love you! Now slow down!"

Natsu disregarded her last command. "Give me a hug, Luce!"

"But I'm already hugging you!"

"Tighter!"

Lucy groaned and pressed herself more up against Natsu, trying to tighten her arms without suffocating him. "Alright, I hugged you! Slow down," she begged.

"One more thing: can you take off my helmet and put it on yourself? It's bothering me," Natsu complained.

Suppressing a growl, Lucy took off Natsu's helmet with shaky hands and did as he asked and slipped it on her head. The world darkened into a gray scale and made it a little uncomfortable for him to lean against him.

"Natsu! Please, slow down!" Lucy pleaded. "This is getting way too fast!"

Natsu's next words were so soft, Lucy almost missed them. They sounded strained, but was covered by something Lucy had only heard when they made love once. She knew he loved her, but this was a deeper type of love. It was an emotion only displayed when the act of ultimate intimacy came into play.

"I love you, Lucy," he murmured. Lucy peered at him curiously, but he didn't turn around. "Just know that, okay? I have always loved, am always loving, and will always love you."

Lucy's eyes softened. "I love you too, Natsu. You know that. I don't think I'll ever stop loving you."

She saw Natsu give her a stiff nod. "Thank you."

Lucy laughed nervously. "Are you okay?" she inquired.

Natsu nodded, but didn't show his face to her to assure her. She could only feel him tense. "Yeah. I just want you to know that. Promise me you'll never forget."

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows and slowly nodded. "I w—"

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><p>The skies in summer were always blue in Magnolia. It never rained during the summer season. Only warm breezes danced in the air. The leaves were always green, the grass was freshly-mowed and lemonade sat on picnic tables in their own condensation. Ice cream truck melodies and summertime rock songs were always playing somewhere.<p>

The skies were gray, not blue.

It was raining.

The air had chilled.

The leaves had wilted a little and the grass was not cut and lemonade was not out on picnic tables.

There was no music playing anywhere.

It was still summer.

Black was the color of Death and mourning. It was the color of hurt and pain. It was the color of wrong and sin. It was the color of a world without love.

It was the color one person would forever see.

Paperboys were not common in many cities, but in Magnolia, they continued the old traditions. Even with the streets bare and the people inside their houses, brave boys would ride their bikes with bags filled with newspapers to deliver.

A paperboy stopped at a large house. The front garden looked painfully dull and unkempt. The curtains were closed, the door was shut, and yet cars were parked in the driveway. The color seemed drained from everywhere, but especially the house.

The paperboy drew a rolled up newspaper from his bag and threw it with a practiced aim. It landed on the doorstep without a sound and the paperboy rode away, searching for his next house.

The wind blew, rolling over the newspaper and it turned.

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><p>A picture of two people was on the front. They were smiling live lovesick fools with him hugging her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder and she was resting her hands on his hands. Their eyes looked at the camera, but the feeling was or each other. They were two people in-love. Their eyes would never look at anyone the same way they looked at each other.<p>

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><p><strong>The Fiore Times<strong>

**Motorcycle Accident on Chenery Way Kills Man, 20, and Injures Woman, 19  
><strong>

Boyfriend Natsu Dragneel and girlfriend Lucy Heartfilia crashed into a local bakery when they were riding on Chenery Way on Saturday. Police say the motorcycle's brakes were deficient. Dragneel died when he made first contact with the wall. Heartfilia is in stable condition at Fiore Clinic. No other wounded or dead was found.

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><p><strong>The real legend:<strong>

A girl and guy were speeding over 100 mph on the road on a motorcycle...

Girl: Slow down. I'm scared.

Guy: No this is fun.

Girl: No it's not. Please, it's too scary!

Guy: Then tell me you love me.

Girl: Fine, I love you. Slow down!

Guy: Now give me a BIG hug.

-:- Girl hugs him -:-

Guy: Can you take my helmet off & put it on yourself? It's bugging me.

(In the paper the next day): A motorcycle had crashed into a building because of brake failure. Two people were on it, but only one survived.

The truth was halfway down the road, the guy realized his brakes broke, but he didn't want to let the girl know. Instead, he had her say she loved him and felt her hug one last time, then had her wear his helmet so she would live even though it meant he would die.

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><p><em>So let's send a prayer<em>

_For this love that we share_

_'Cause it could change in the blink of an eye_

_You just never know_

_How tomorrow will go_

_So let's make sure we kiss goodbye_

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><p><em>AN: Sad, isn't it? _


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